1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and in particular to a concentrated cooling apparatus of a refrigerator which is capable of performing instant cooling operation by discharging cold air onto a region where a high temperature-load is located inside a chilling chamber. The present invention is also to directed to an apparatus that is capable of preventing moisture from being condensed onto the surface of an infrared sensor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a partial-perspective view illustrating a conventional refrigerator.
The conventional refrigerator includes a main body 104 having a defined storage space including a freezing chamber 106 and a chilling chamber 108 respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the main body 104 for storing frozen food and cold food. A cold air supply apparatus is installed at the upper portion of the freezing chamber 106 and supplies cooled air while passing a refrigerant along a cooling path (not shown) into the freezing chamber 106 and the chilling chamber 108.
The cold air supply apparatus includes a fan 120 installed at the upper rear surface of the freezing chamber 106 and forcibly sending cooled air while passing the refrigerant along the cooling path. A cold air supply path 132 is formed at the upper portion of a separation wall 100 in order to make cold air sent by the fan 120 flow into the chilling chamber 108. A cold air discharge duct 134 is installed at the upper portion of the chilling chamber 108, communicates with the cold air supply path 132 and has a cold air discharge opening 136 for discharging cold air supplied from the cold air supply path 132 into the chilling chamber 108. A cold air inflow path 138 is formed at the lower portion of the separation wall 110 to make the cold air finishing the cooling operation flow into the refrigeration or cooling path.
In the conventional refrigerator, when the refrigerant is moved along the cooling path and the fan 120 is rotated, cold air cooled by passing along the refrigerant path flows into the cold air discharge duct 134 opening and is discharged into the chilling chamber 108 through the cold air discharge hole 136 of the cold air discharge duct 134. Accordingly, the cooling operation of the chilling chamber 108 is performed.
However, in the conventional refrigerator a cold air discharge duct is installed at the upper portion of a chilling chamber, and cold air is supplied from the upper portion to the lower portion of the chilling chamber through cold air discharge opening formed on the cold air discharge duct. Thus, a temperature variation inside the chilling chamber is large, as a result of a distance from the cold air discharge holes or openings to the reminder of the refrigeration chamber. Because cold air is discharged only from the cold air discharge duct, when a high temperature load occurs as a result of foodstuff stored inside the chilling chamber, etc., a long time is required for equalizing a temperature distribution inside the chilling chamber, and freshness of the foodstuff stored in the chilling chamber may be lowered due to a delay in cooling.